The Rolling Stones, Rolling Stones - Metamorphosis

Culled from the Rolling Stones' massive archive, 1975's METAMORPHOSIS is the band's sole rarities compilation featuring material from the Stones' fertile '60s and '70s era. Cherry picked by former manager Allen Klein as a result of a bitter lawsuit that found a similar anthology contrived by Bill Wyman going unreleased, this treasure trove of cuts is a boon to both die-hard and casual Stones fans. It kicks off with a lush, orchestrated version of "Out Of Time," one of a handful of outtakes (along with "Heart Of Stone") featuring a studio full of session musicians including John McLaughlin, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones.

Overseen by Mick Jagger and then manager Andrew Oldham, these tracks provide interesting insight to a time when the Stones' success allowed them to dish off songs to other UK artists, using versions like these as demos. Other highlights include a killer cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Don't Know Why" (originally recorded for LET IT BLEED) and "Memo From Turner," a Jagger/Richards number cut with Al Kooper and penned for the soundtrack to the Jagger vehicle Performance. Making its CD debut in 2002, METAMORPHOSIS remains a jewel that still glimmers almost three decades after its release. Album Description

Listen to this album.

This album showcases some really good R&B and Motown influence from the stones, along with folk and pure gritty Rock n Roll.

It's a great sound. The songs are catchy, driving, and they have that edge that the stones give into all of their performances that just makes the whole thing raw and gritty.

The songs on this album are from the early era of the stones history, thus the atmosphere of it is very warm and original.

Great music. These songs will stay with me for a long time. July 2, 2008

Great for the experienced Stones listener

I was around when "Metamorphosis" came out in 1975, and I hated it then. Beginning with Goats Head Soup in 1972 RS IMO began an overall decline which has only been briefly relieved every five years or so by some good but flawed albums/cds, or some actual great singles off otherwise mediocre cds.) I think I was wrong.

Ssince that time I've come to appreciate Metamorphosis as a study in how the RS changed from their old blues covers and Brian Jones-influenced bluesy stuff into the flowering of the Glimmer Twins and their move to harder rock and roll. IMO it was in Jone's final 68-69 decline when he was less influential in the band that the famous "Rolling Stones sound" was established in the public's mind.

Metamorphosis is a quick education in early-middle period of Stones development. Tremendous changes can be heard not only in the song styles, but also the singling tone of Jagger. It's also fun listening for session sidemen like Jimmy Page and Stephen Still in their cuts.

So for the casual RS fan, this is more than likely a pass. But for the experienced and mature listener, it's great fun listening to the RS as they mature - well, as they mature musically at least. April 22, 2008

Games People Play

The history of the odds-and-ends package begins on its release date - June 6, 1975 - the same day The Rolling Stones released Made in the Shade. As a means to steal some thunder, former business manager Allen Klein dived into the vast vault of material that he had legal control over for this album on his ABKCO label.

The tracks are from 1964-1970, with the CD including three tracks not on the initial U.S. album - (Walkin' Thru The) Sleepy City, Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind and Try a Little Harder. Bill Wyman's Downtown Suzie, the demo of Out of Time and Heart of Stone - featuring then top session guitarist, Jimmy Page - are the interesting cuts in what was an album released for all the wrong reasons. April 11, 2008

An essential track....

..For sure it's an album of outtakes but "I'm going down" deserves to be
amongst the essential tracks by Keith..awesome... December 4, 2007

For the curious

This is what it has been billed as - a mixed bag of studio-doctored takes, b-side fodder, and early Jagger/Richards writing attempts. It has a wide variety of styles, focusing on poppy sixties sweetness in the beginning to late sixties outtakes from what would be the start of their halcyon days. There are some nuggets of novelty interest to Stones' fans, especially the more heavily produced, chorus rich, and string flavored takes on Out of Time and Heart of Stone. The songs are unusual and in most cases, not particularly good either. Jagger doesn't possess a vocal quality strong enough to be a true pop sensation. His voice is much more menacing and unrefined for the kind of songs Metamorphosis has a plentitude of and we can thank our Sticky Fingers for that.
Jiving Sister Fanny sounds like a Goat's Head Soup outtake despite the recording date with Taylor's straight-ahead solos and Jagger's strained performance. Many people enjoy Wyman's Downtown Suzie but I found it precisely the kind of song that belongs on out-takes. Despite a decent chorus, the verses are really quite awful. There are a few songs that aren't bad but nothing that makes me wish it was released on other more successful albums save If You Let Me which could've replaced a song or two on Between the Buttons and helped improve that album. The tracks Family and I'm Going Down come close to being suitable as well but are in need of better lyrics from Jagger and some fine tuning. Given the writing process of the band, my guess is the band gave these songs as much as they felt they could before bailing out on them.
It is an interesting insight into what the Stones might have sounded like had they not been so strongly driven by the blues and avoided being just another short-term pop band. On the other hand, I'm grateful as hell that this is a curiosity rather than a calling card.
September 14, 2007

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